Summary April 2026
New “Year Ticks” in April 2026: 8
New “Life Ticks” in April 2026: 0
Total Species for Year so far: 93
The first birding group day out of the post-Easter period was to Burton Mere Wetlands on 14 April 2026 Avocets were in good numbers though they seem to be spread out over the site more as their numbers increase. We got year tick Willow Warbler, Swallow and Pheasant.
It seems like I always have something up with me that stops me from birding more; this month it was dental work. This meant that I missed the second birding group visit of the post-Easter term which was a visit to Leosowe Lighthouse. I was particularly annoyed at this as this has been one of the sites I have added to the birding groups iteneraries of late and had been particularly good for migrating birds recently.
The next birding group day out was to Pennington Flashes on the 28th April 2026 where we got five year ticks. The most unusual for Pennington was five Black-necked Grebes which showed well for us. Little Ringed Plover and Reed Warbler were another pair of good year ticks and the remainder were Snipe and Stock Dove. The air was alive with song birds as we walked through the woods making a particularly pleasant morning of it
In the garden, bird song is heard often from Wrens and Dunnocks and the usual Blue and Great Tits are becoming more vocal. I am probably going to stop feeding the birds at the end of April in accordance with the RSPB recommendations.
We spent a lot of hours working on our planned holiday around Suffolk and Norfolk which we are starting with a stay-over at Rutland Water on the 10th May; details to follow!
Year Ticks during April 2026
Year Ticks in April 2026
| Species | Location |
|---|---|
| Swallow | Burton Mere Wetlands 14 April 2026 |
| Willow Warbler | Burton Mere Wetlands 14 April 2026 |
| Pheasant | Burton Mere Wetlands 14 April 2026 |
| Stock Dove | Pennington Flashes 28 April 2026 |
| Black-necked Grebe | Pennington Flashes 28 April 2026 |
| Reed Warbler | Pennington Flashes 28 April 2026 |
| Common Snipe | Pennington Flashes 28 April 2026 |
| Little Ringed Plover | Pennington Flashes 28 April 2026 |
Bird Sightings in April 2026
| No | Species |
|---|---|
| 1 | Avocet |
| 2 | Black-headed Gull |
| 3 | Black-necked Grebe |
| 4 | Black-tailed Godwit |
| 5 | Blackbird |
| 6 | Blackcap |
| 7 | Blue Tit |
| 8 | Canada Goose |
| 9 | Carrion Crow |
| 10 | Cetti's Warbler |
| 11 | Chiffchaff |
| 12 | Coot |
| 13 | Cormorant |
| 14 | Dunnock |
| 15 | Gadwall |
| 16 | Goldfinch |
| 17 | Great Crested Grebe |
| 18 | Great Tit |
| 19 | Grey Heron |
| 20 | Greylag Goose |
| 21 | House Sparrow |
| 22 | Lapwing |
| 23 | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| 24 | Little Egret |
| 25 | Little Grebe |
| 26 | Little Ringed Plover |
| 27 | Magpie |
| 28 | Mallard |
| 29 | Marsh Harrier |
| 30 | Mediterranean Gull |
| 31 | Moorhen |
| 32 | Mute Swan |
| 33 | Oystercatcher |
| 34 | Pheasant |
| 35 | Pied Wagtail |
| 36 | Reed Warbler |
| 37 | Ring-necked Parakeet |
| 38 | Robin |
| 39 | Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon |
| 40 | Rook |
| 41 | Sand Martin |
| 42 | Shelduck |
| 43 | Shoveler |
| 44 | Snipe |
| 45 | Song Thrush |
| 46 | Stock Dove |
| 47 | Swallow |
| 48 | Teal |
| 49 | Tufted Duck |
| 50 | Willow Warbler |
| 51 | Woodpigeon |
| 52 | Wren |